This dataset provides a map of benthic habitat types, including live coral cover present off northeast Puerto Rico and Culebra Island, a region selected by local managers as a priority area for habitat mapping. The map covers 744 km2 of shallow-water habitats at a high spatial resolution (the smallest habitat features mapped are 10x10 meters) and includes 250 km of shoreline for the region's 210 islands and rock outcrops. This includes the shallow habitats inside the current boundaries of the Northeast Natural Reserves, as well as surrounding areas. The habitat map, generated using a combination of semi-automated classification and visual interpretation techniques of remote sensing imagery (WV-2 satellite imagery collected 2011-2013, hydrographic data collected 1900-2012 and aerial photos collected 2007-2010) and underwater videos (2013-2014), represents the first digital map that describes nearly 100% of the seafloor in the study area. This work updates previous NOAA maps generated by Kendall et al. (2001), which covered 22% of the mapped region (78% of the study area was not previously mapped). The new fine-scale habitat map provides spatially-explicit information on habitat types, biological cover, and live coral cover extending over a large and biologically complex area. This work was conducted by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in collaboration with the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico (DRNA) and the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez. Kendall, M.S., C.R. Kruer, K.R. Buja, J.D. Christensen, M. Finkbeiner, R.A. Warner and M.E. Monaco. 2001. Methods Used to Map the Benthic Habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 152. Silver Spring, MD.

The dataset is comprised of shallow-water (<30m) benthic habitat maps of the nearshore marine environment of two areas in Southwest Puerto Rico (PR), including the Guanica Bay/La Parguera region on the south coast and the Belvedere reserve on the west coast, which were mapped and characterized using visual interpretation of optical and acoustic remotely sensed imagery. The objective was to provide spatially-explicit information on the habitat types, biological cover and live coral cover of the region's coral reef ecosystem. These maps will be used to support marine resource management and conservation in the Commonwealth. In addition, the maps will enable change detection in an assessment of the effectiveness of restoration activities on the condition of adjacent coral reef ecosystems. This product provides a fine-scale assessment of the status, abundance, and distribution of marine habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico. Direct implications to management measures include evaluation of management efficacy, a spatial framework for improved monitoring sampling design, improved assessment of human-use impacts, and marine spatial planning to support alternative marine protected area boundary alternatives. In addition, the maps will enable change detection in an assessment of the effectiveness of restoration activities on the condition of adjacent coral reef ecosystems. This dataset provides an update to existing NOAA benthic habitat maps (created in 2001) of the waters off southwest Puerto Rico, extending from Guanica Bay in the east to Cabo Rojo in the west as part of a baseline characterization in support of watershed restoration. These fine-scale habitat maps, generated by interpretation of 2010 satellite imagery, provide an update to NOAA's previous digital maps of the U.S. Caribbean1 (GUI: PR004001, V1004001, VI004002) for these areas. Major improvements included: More detailed maps using a reduced minimum mapping unit from one acre to 1,000 square meters (~1/4 acre), Increased coverage of areas formerly classified as unknown, More detailed habitat classification, and Maps of marine areas adjacent to two natural reserves (Bosque Estatal de Guanica and Reserva Natural Finca Belvedere) in coordination with the NOAA Fisheries Caribbean Field Office. NOAA used a technique known as "heads-up digitizing" to produce the digital maps, whereby digital satellite images are visually interpreted, then habitats are delineated in a hierarchical classification scheme. Kendall, M.S., C.R. Kruer, K.R. Buja, J.D. Christensen, M. Finkbeiner, R.A. Warner and M.E. Monaco. 2001. Methods used to map the benthic habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 152. Silver Spring, MD. 45 pp

Benthic habitats of the moderate-depth marine environment in and around the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument of St. John were mapped using a combination of semi-automated classification and visual interpretation of acoustic imagery. This work replaces previous NOAA maps by Kendall et al. (2001) (1) for the waters around St. John. The objective of this effort, conducted by NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment - Biogeography Branch in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), was to provide spatially-explicit information on the habitat types, biological cover and live coral cover of the moderate-depth area south of St. John. This product provides a fine-scale assessment of the status, abundance, and distribution of moderate-depth marine habitats south of St. John. The NOAA effort provides the U.S. National Park Service with increased technical capacity for ocean exploration, management, and stewardship. Direct implications to management measures include evaluation of management efficacy, a spatial framework for improved monitoring sampling design, improved assessment of human-use impacts, and marine spatial planning to support alternative marine protected area boundary alternatives. Rhodoliths (encrusting marine red algae that resemble coral) and sand were the most common found habitats in the moderate depth region south of St. John. Turf, fleshy, coralline, or filamentous algae were pervasive in both the shallow and moderate depth areas, accounting for 74 percent and 92.8 percent of these mapped areas, respectively. Only four percent of the moderate depth area had live hard and soft coral covers greater than 10 percent. The moderate-depth map begins at the optical limit of the associated shallow-water benthic habitat map (GUI:VI004004), also poduced by NOAA for the region, and continues to the edge of the acoustic imagery. The integration of these two maps is possible, given that the same general habitat classification schemes and minimum mapping units were applied to both the shallow-water and moderate-depth maps. That being said, NOAA emphasizes that the differences between the two maps must be thoroughly understood, in order to recognize the limitations associated with using the maps in an integrated fashion. Integration of the shallow-water and moderate-depth maps will provide a seamless benthic habitat map, extending from the shoreline of St. John southward to the 55 m isobath. Both maps are found at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/benthic-habitat-mapping-st-john-u-s-virgin-islands-national-park-reef-national-monument/.(1) Kendall, M.S., C.R. Kruer, K.R. Buja, J.D. Christensen, M. Finkbeiner, R.A. Warner and M.E. Monaco. 2001. Methods Used to Map the Benthic Habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 152. Silver Spring, MD

Benthic habitats of the shallow-water marine environment around St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands were mapped by NOAA using visual interpretation of acoustic imagery. This work replaces previous NOAA maps generated by Kendall et al. (2001) (1) for the waters around St. John. Overall, NOAA mapped 53.4 km2 of shallow-water habitats around St. John for the National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring Program. Sand and pavement dominated the shallow-water habitats around St. John, covering 43 percent and 16 percent of the mapped area, respectively. Turf, fleshy, coralline, or filamentous algae were pervasive in both the shallow and moderate depth areas, accounting for 74 percent and 92.8 percent of these mapped areas, respectively. Only 17 percent of the shallow area and four percent of the moderate depth area had live hard and soft coral covers greater than 10 percent. NOAA assessed the thematic accuracy of thes map using independent data sets. This map was also reviewed and edited by local experts, including the National Park Service, before being finalized. The associated moderate-depth benthic habitat map (GUI:VI004003) also poduced by NOAA for the region begins at the optical limit of the shallow-water map, and continues to the edge of the acoustic imagery. The integration of these two maps is possible, given that the same general habitat classification schemes and minimum mapping units were applied to both the shallow-water and moderate-depth maps. That being said, NOAA emphasizes that the differences between the two maps must be thoroughly understood, in order to recognize the limitations associated with using the maps in an integrated fashion. Integration of the shallow-water and moderate-depth maps will provide a seamless benthic habitat map, extending from the shoreline of St. John southward to the 55 m isobath. Both maps are found at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/benthic-habitat-mapping-st-john-u-s-virgin-islands-national-park-reef-national-monument/.(1) Kendall, M.S., C.R. Kruer, K.R. Buja, J.D. Christensen, M. Finkbeiner, R.A. Warner and M.E. Monaco. 2001. Methods Used to Map the Benthic Habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 152. Silver Spring, MD

This dataset provides a map of benthic habitats in the nearshore waters of St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Biogeography Branch of NOAA/NOS/NCCOS acquired aerial photographs of the nearshore waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1999. These images, along with field sampling for validation, were used to create geographic information system (GIS) maps of the study area's coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and other important marine habitats. Mapped areas encompass the insular shelf between the shoreline and shelf edge, except where turbidity prevented visualization of the bottom. NOAA's partners included: Government of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR) Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Caribbean Fisheries Management Council National Park Service NOAA, National Geophysical Data Center NOAA, Coastal Services Center NOAA, National Geodetic Survey St. Croix Environmental Association NOAA mapped 21 distinct benthic habitat types within eight zones and added these data to a GIS using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. NOAA mapped benthic features that covered an area of 490 m2?in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including 300 km2?of coral reef and hard bottom, 161 km2?of submerged vegetation, 24 km2?of unconsolidated sediment, and 2 km2?of mangroves. Since 2002, these maps have been used for a wide range of applications, including: coral reef monitoring, marine protected area design, fisheries assessments, and student projects.

"This dataset provides a map of benthic habitats in the nearshore waters of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Biogeography Branch of NOAA/NOS/NCCOS acquired aerial photographs of the nearshore waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1999. These images, along with field sampling for validation, were used to create geographic information system (GIS) maps of the study area's coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and other important marine habitats. Mapped areas encompass the insular shelf between the shoreline and shelf edge, except where turbidity prevented visualization of the bottom. NOAA's partners included: Government of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR) Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Caribbean Fisheries Management Council National Park Service NOAA, National Geophysical Data Center NOAA, Coastal Services Center NOAA, National Geodetic Survey St. Croix Environmental Association NOAA mapped 21 distinct benthic habitat types within eight zones and added these data to a GIS using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. NOAA mapped benthic features that covered an area of 490 m2?in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including 300 km2?of coral reef and hard bottom, 161 km2?of submerged vegetation, 24 km2?of unconsolidated sediment, and 2 km2?of mangroves. Since 2002, these maps have been used for a wide range of applications, including: coral reef monitoring, marine protected area design, fisheries assessments, and student projects."

This dataset provides a map of benthic habitats in the nearshore waters of Puerto Rico. The Biogeography Branch of NOAA/NOS/NCCOS acquired aerial photographs of the nearshore waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1999. These images, along with field sampling for validation, were used to create geographic information system (GIS) maps of the study area's coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and other important marine habitats. Mapped areas encompass the insular shelf between the shoreline and shelf edge, except where turbidity prevented visualization of the bottom. NOAA's partners included: Government of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR) Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Caribbean Fisheries Management Council National Park Service NOAA, National Geophysical Data Center NOAA, Coastal Services Center NOAA, National Geodetic Survey St. Croix Environmental Association NOAA mapped 21 distinct benthic habitat types within eight zones and added these data to a GIS using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. Benthic features mapped covered an area of 1600 km2?in Puerto Rico, including 721 km2?of submerged vegetation, 756 km2?of coral reef and colonized hardbottom, 49 m2?of unconsolidated sediment, and 73 km2?of mangroves. Since 2002, these maps have been used for a wide range of applications, including: coral reef monitoring, marine protected area design, fisheries assessments, and student projects.